Twist of Time
by skyecho
Summary: Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts to complete her final year. Yet, a simple twist of fate takes her to a parallel universe; here, Dumbledore is alive, Ron and Harry are enemies, and she has an unexpected love interest. As Hermione tries to find her way in this new reality, she uncovers a plot that will lead to the destruction of Hermione's life as she knows it.
1. Chapter 1

Sunlight streamed through the window and Hermione Granger let it warm up her face before opening her eyes to face the new day. _It's so quiet_, she thought to herself. As newly appointed Head Girl, Hermione was given a dorm to herself. And while she loved the idea of having her own space to work on homework and revise for exams, she would miss hearing the chatter of the other girls as they got ready for classes and...

"Oh no, no, no, no," Hermione gasped as she lurched out of her warm bed. Her previous thoughts were pushed right out of her mind as she frantically flung herself around her room, stuffing fresh parchment, a new quill and a pile of textbooks into her bag. _How could I possibly have slept in today_? she wondered as threw on her robes while trying to smooth down the disaster that was her hair.

Running down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room, she was struck by the silence that confronted her there as well. _That's odd_, she thought. She wasn't surprised that Ron and Harry weren't up yet, they weren't exactly thrilled about the first day of school... but no other students were up yet? Picking up her pace, Hermione raced down the stairs and did a double take as she glanced over the balcony that looked down on the main entrance.

"No way", she whispered under her breath. There, standing before Headmaster Severus Snape, was none other than Draco Malfoy. Surely, Hogwarts wouldn't let Draco back in after everything he had done. Yet, there was Argus Filch gathering up his bags and taking them toward the Slytherin common room. Her mouth hung slightly open as she watched Draco slowly follow behind him. His blond hair, slightly longer, had a wavy texture that was rarely seen under all the hair gel he normally used. Noting the absence of his usual arrogant stance, Hermione wondered if it was possible that Draco was truly sorry for his part in the Great War.

As if on cue, Draco glanced back toward where Hermione was standing. She quickly dropped down and peered out through the columns of the balcony, hoping he hadn't seen her. His notorious smirk crept up on to his face as he whispered, "welcome back, mudblood."

"Ugh" Hermione muttered in disgust as she tried to shake off his words. Obviously not much had changed. With her heart thumping, she gathered up her things and continued to make her way down to McGonagall's office, where she, the new Gryffindor Head Girl, and Neville Longbottom, the new Head Boy were to have their first morning meeting of the school year - a meeting that she was currently late for. 

Finally reaching the closed wooden door, Hermione knocked. Upon no response, she tried again, "Professor McGonagall? It's Hermione Granger. I'm sorry I'm late, but..."

"Mione?" a voice boomed from behind her.

Hermione spun around to see Ron and Harry looking at her with confused expressions on their faces. Holding their brooms and dressed in Quidditch gear, she reflected a confused look right back at them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" she said, exasperated. "You don't really think you have time for a round of Quidditch before class, do you?"

"And you're going to class looking like that?" Ron laughed as he gestured to her hair. "What happened to it, anyway, were you hit with a-"

Harry threw Ron a look and interjected before he could finish, "Uh Hermione? Today's Sunday."

Hermione closed her eyes and let out a sigh, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she realized her mistake. "Of course, I knew that. Thank you, Harry, I was just... uh doing a practice run, obviously."

"And you, Ronald Weasley," she said turning to face him, "should be the last one to speak to anyone about hairstyles."

Ron ran his hand through his shaggy red hair and shrugged. "You know you love it," he said as he picked up Hermione's bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Come walk out with us then, since you're on a practice run and all," he said with a smile.

A cool autumn breeze greeted them in the courtyard, and as they made their way across the grounds, Hermione recounted what she had seen earlier.

"Not bloody likely," Ron said biting a piece of toast he took out from his pocket, "Malfoy is a snivelling ferret that has about as much chance of changing as my great aunt Ethel has of playing in the Quidditch World Cup."

"But why, then, would they let him back in?" Hermione asked.

"I have no idea," Harry said softly, "but I say we all keep an eye on him. Whatever reason they have for letting him back in, doesn't mean we just sit by and let him ruin our lives all over again." His eyes clouded over and they continued the rest of the way in silence.

After watching Ron and Harry dart off into the sky, Hermione slowly made her way to her favourite spot on the Hogwarts grounds. As she sat down on the bench, she pulled her cardigan tight around her and took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. Looking at the majestic trees in courtyard and the sunlight shimmering off the pond, Hermione almost couldn't believe that a few months ago this place, her home, was standing amongst dust, rubble and destruction. With so many wizards offering their help to rebuild Hogwarts, the restoration had hardly taken any time at all. And Hermione was happy to be back.

Her eyes rested upon the meadow and Hermione smiled to herself. A patch of beautiful lavender was in bloom and she could almost smell their fragrance being carried over by the breeze. It wasn't odd to see flowers and herbs growing at unconventional times at Hogwarts because Madame Pomfrey often used enchantments to ensure a well-stocked supply for whatever remedy she might need. As Hermione continued to be mesmerized by the vibrancy of the lavender, an idea struck her.

_That's it! A lavender bouquet for Professor McGonagall would be the perfect school commencement present_, Hermione thought excitedly. In her rush to get up, Hermione's robe snagged on the bench and her momentum was thrust back as she was harshly jerked down. "Umph," Hermione cried out as she landed on the ground with a thud.

She closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed the back of her head.

_What is wrong with me today_? she thought to herself.

As she opened her eyes and turned her head toward the bench, she saw something shimmer on the underside of the bench seat. Sitting up, she ran her hands underneath and stopped on what felt like a metal ring. She bent her head down to get a better look, _no it can't be_, she said to herself.

She grasped the metal ring and pulled down; it wouldn't budge. Resting her feet against the base of the bench, she pulled even harder, and this time, it dislodged itself from the wood and Hermione fell back once again onto the grass.

"Why is there a time turner stuck in this bench?" she whispered aloud as she rolled it over in her hands.

She read the inscription: "_My use and value unto you are gauged by what you have to do._" She recognized the inscription, but something gnawed at the back of her mind. There was something different about this one and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly.

_I thought these had all been destroyed in the battle at the Department of Mysteries..._

Yet, upon closer inspection, Hermione noticed that this particular time turner was not the same as the one she had used years ago. It still had two rings with an hourglass in the middle, but as she ran her finger around the edge of the ring, she noticed that the knob to twist back the time was missing. Instead, the hourglass in the middle ring was joined to the outside ring by a single chain. She flipped it over and over and watched the grains of sand move back and forth in the hourglass. Nothing.

Letting out a sigh, Hermione started to gather up her things, _I'll show this to Professor McGonagall when I meet with her tomorrow and see what she thinks about it._

Admiring the beauty of the piece one last time, she placed it gently into her bag, dusted herself off and set off to collect some lavender.

That night Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out the time turner as she made her way to her bed. As she settled in under her covers, she held the time turner above her head and flipped the hourglass back and forth. A small smile crept to her lips as she thought about her schedule for the following day. Placing the time tuner on her bedside table, she laid her head on her pillow, closed her eyes, and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Something was wrong. Hermione felt a piercing light dragging her from her sleep. She winced as she slowly opened her eyes to see what was the matter. Her eyes quickly found the time turner, which was lit up with a white and lilac glow. Instinctively she reached for it, and the moment her fingers touched the smooth metal surface, the white light engulfed her. And then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who do I think I am? Who do I think I am? Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that?" a woman's voice screamed.

The voice reached out to Hermione and slowly nudged something within her subconscious.  
The woman's fiery anger, now replaced with an icy edge, continued, "you have until midnight tonight. Remember who you're dealing with."

The loud bang of the phone being slammed down turned the dull ache within Hermione's head into an intense stabbing pain. Cupping her hands around her head to relieve the pressure, Hermione willed her heavy eyelids to open. Without even having to look around, she realized that she was no longer in her dorm room. Entranced by the vivid variations of pinks, silvers and blues on the ceiling, Hermione could not look away from the most beautiful mural she had ever seen. She admired the Magnolia tree bathed in moonlight until the sound of footsteps pulled her back to reality.

With an increased thudding in her chest, Hermione's eyes darted around the room, and she sluggishly pulled herself up. She took in her surroundings, the dark purple curtains, the cream sofa that she woke up on, and panic began to set in. She wasn't even on the Hogwarts grounds anymore. The small beige apartment was filled with light pine furniture and decorated with whimsical prints, like the one on the ceiling. The wall to her right was lined with bookcases filled with stacks of newspapers. Assorted elephant figurines were the only other objects on the shelves. A small grey elephant, trunk extended up, held a deep blue gem. It caught the light and twinkled at Hermione. Hermione blinked as the elephant blurred, a cloudy haze swaying back and forth over it. She let out a soft gasp as a stabbing pain behind her eye forced her to lie back down.

As the pain dulled, Hermione opened her eyes and examined the small coffee table directly in front of her. It was bare, except for an open and empty wand case. Hermione squinted, unsure if her eyes were still playing tricks on her, and inched forward for a closer look. There, peeking out from under the black box was an unopened purple and silver embossed envelope. Stretching her arm to move the envelope closer, she winced as the sharp pain resurged and read the address.

Miss Jasmine Patel  
713 Evergreen Terrace, Apartment 2 Hogsmeade

The sound of ratting dishes and approaching footsteps tied her stomach in knots. Hermione scrambled to place the envelope in the exact place she found it. She could hear the beating of her heart in her ears as she readjusted herself into her former sleeping position.

"Oh good, you're not dead" a woman's voice said. Hermione frowned as she opened her eyes and tried to place the petite woman standing in front of her. Her wavy black hair, berry- stained lips and hazel green eyes were completely unfamiliar.

The woman let out a small laugh as she registered the look on Hermione's face. "Only kidding. You've been sleeping for ages. How are you feeling?"

Hermione croaked, "a bit groggy, actually. But ok, thanks" and managed a small smile as a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of her. Comforted by the warmth in her tone, Hermione quickly glanced around for the source of the cold threats she overheard earlier.

"I'm Jasmine Patel" the woman said, smiling as she sat down across from Hermione. "I found you passed out last night and since you didn't appear to be hurt, I figured it was best to bring you to my place until you woke up." Hermione felt a wave of uneasiness and closed her eyes in an attempt to quell the swirling questions inside her head.

"Hermione Granger. And thank you. I'm not even sure what happened actually. One moment I was in my room, and the next I was waking up here." As Hermione reached for the teacup, her eyes were transfixed on her outstretched hand. A multi-coloured haze surrounded her skin. She looked up at a blurred Jasmine swaying back and forth in slow motion. Hermione massaged her temples and inhaled sharply as she was assaulted with a high-pitched ringing in her ears. She could hear Jasmine's muffled voice, echoing back to her, but could not understand what she was saying.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Hermione groaned weakly as she wrapped her arms around her head, rocking back and forth.

Gradually, the haze cleared and Hermione sat up.

"I said are you alright, Hermione?" Jasmine asked, placing a cool hand on Hermione's burning skin.

Hermione let out a long sigh and sunk back into the cushions. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I can't remember a thing about last night. How did you find me?"

Hermione rested her throbbing head against the soft fabric as Jasmine recounted the events of the night before. She was visiting her sister, who attends Hogwarts, and left just after ten o'clock. Since it was a beautiful night, she decided to take the scenic path back to Hogsmeade. When she reached the pond she saw Hermione, in her pajamas, unconscious on the ground near the bench.

As Jasmine listed the various charms and potions that could have resulted in her memory loss, Hermione noticed her voice slowly fade away. She was then bombarded with flashes of images, changing too quickly to fully separate one from another. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall them.

"What happened, did you remember something?" Jasmine screeched, reeling in Hermione from her thoughts. Hermione looked at Jasmine before answering and saw something unsettling flash behind her hazel green eyes. She decided not to ask the question that had been simmering in the back of her mind since hearing Jasmine's story. If she found her on Hogwarts grounds, why didn't she just take her to the infirmary? "No. My head just hurts."

Jasmine's eyes narrowed, and she abruptly got up and walked over to the window. As she looked outside, she let out a deep sigh and piled her thick wavy black hair on top of her head. Behind her right ear, Hermione saw two blue star tattoos, one slightly off centre that seemed to sparkle with a silver hue whenever she moved.

After a moment she slowly turned to face Hermione, a fake smile plastered to her face. "If you want, you can just give me the name of the person you were visiting at Hogwarts, and then I can make sure you get back to where you need to be." Sitting down on the window seat, Jasmine raised her foot up and retied the undone lace on her black combat boot.

"Visiting?" Hermione asked, noting the familiar icy tone in Jasmine's voice.

"Well yes, I mean, Granger is a Muggle name, right? And since you clearly can't attend classes there, you must have been visiting someone. Don't worry, though, I won't tell." Jasmine leaned forward, eyes like daggers, eager to cut through Hermione's response to her next question. "Who were you meeting, Hermione?"

"You know what?" Hermione said flustered, "thank you for all your help. But maybe I should just head over to Hogwarts and speak to Headmaster Snape. I think there's been a misunderstanding." Hands shaking slightly, and foggy mind pounding, Hermione placed her teacup on the table and began to get up.

"Oh sweetie, I think that potion or whatever you took, is still messing with your mind a bit. Professor Dumbledore is the Hogwarts Headmaster, but as of two days ago, you can't find him at Hogwarts. You'll need to head over to St. Mungo's Hospital."

Hermione's jaw began to drop as she tried to comprehend the words she just heard. Aware of Jasmine's scrutinizing gaze, Hermione quickly composed a neutral expression and stammered, "oh yes...right, of course."

"It's still a top story," Jasmine said, grabbing a newspaper from one of the piles on her bookshelf. "The Ministry says they are exploring some leads, but I think they haven't got a clue." Hermione looked down at the front page of the Daily Prophet and saw a black and white photo of Dumbledore with the headline: HOGWARTS HEADMASTER IN CRITICAL CONDITION, ATTACKERS STILL AT LARGE.

Speechless, Hermione felt her legs go weak and struggled to remain standing. Steadying Hermione with one arm, Jasmine guided her toward the front door. Taking a knee-length tan coat off a hook, she extended her arm to Hermione.

"If you're heading there in your pajamas, you might want to cover up with this," Jasmine said winking. "Otherwise they might try and keep you there."

As Hermione hurried out of Jasmine's apartment, she wrapped the coat tightly around her body and fumbled with the last button. Looking down at her shaking hands, Hermione took a deep breath, and was surrounded by Jasmine's sweet vanilla scent. It enveloped her and Hermione felt it burn in the back of her throat. Once outside, she froze in front of the building, unsure of where to go first. Warming her hands in her front pockets, Hermione looked up at what was left of the vibrant pinky orange sunset and exhaled. Her fingers closed around something rough and Hermione pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Opening it, Hermione saw a picture of Dumbledore, reminiscent of his portrait that was now hung in the Headmaster's study at Hogwarts, with the words: Where were you on the night of September 3rd?

Looking up, Hermione realized that the street was littered with these papers, scurrying in the wind, and many were posted on store windows and lampposts. Hermione shook her head and refolded the paper before placing it back in her pocket. She was tired of the never-ending questions that continued to cloud her mind. She needed answers. As the cool evening breeze ruffled her hair, Hermione picked up her pace and headed down the street.

***  
Hermione stood in front of the large grey building with a puzzled expression on her face. As she looked at the official name of the hospital, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, etched into the stone, Hermione felt her pulse quicken and her mouth go dry. This was the right place; yet, it wasn't the right place at all. The impossibility of this weighed heavily on her, and she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

Snippets of information floated through her mind, Muggles can't attend Hogwarts, Dumbledore is in a coma, I am in my pajamas... She laughed aloud at how ludicrous it sounded and gave a sheepish smile to the elderly man in the grey hat. Hurrying by him, and his dirty look, Hermione passed through the doors and made her way to the Inquiry Desk.  
She waited patiently behind the woman carrying a large coral and teal polka-dot box that appeared to be breathing, and began fiddling with the belt on her jacket. In a matter of seconds, she would approach the Welcome Witch, but how could she possibly ask for Dumbledore's room number? Obviously the newspaper articles were faked, she told herself. She had attended his funeral. But why would Jasmine go through all the effort to fool a complete stranger? Hermione chewed on her bottom lip as she realized she was next in line.

"Yes?" the Welcome Witch asked, looking straight at Hermione. She wore a sky blue name tag with the name Azalea printed on it.

Hermione slowly walked up to the desk and let out a deep sigh. "This is going to sound crazy, but someone told me Albus Dumbledore was here and obviously I know –"

"Fourth Floor – Spell Damage," Azalea muttered without looking up from her parchment, "room 403."

In a daze, Hermione stepped away from the desk and watched as a multitude of colours swirled before her eyes. Grabbing the edge of the desk in front of her, Hermione closed her eyes and tried to steady herself; however, the welcomed darkness did nothing to stop the world from spinning out of control. Hermione hesitantly opened her eyes and was confronted with the tip of a dark brown wand pointed right at her.

"Just close your eyes," Azalea said in her monotone voice. And as Azalea let out a loud sigh, Hermione felt the familiar tug of being apparated. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in front of Dumbledore's room.

The walls a sunshine yellow, Hermione moved toward the bed, which was surrounded by dozens and dozens of flowers, piles of presents, candy boxes and get-well cards. She stood by a vase of purple lilacs and inhaled their sweet comforting fragrance. There, before her, was the man whose funeral she attended mere months ago. She inched closer, her heart thudding. With his long flowing white hair and beard freshly combed, Hermione couldn't help but think how different he looked without his glasses. She was in a state of wonder as she admired his peaceful state and touched his cheek to make sure this wasn't some kind of illusion. It wasn't. He was really there.

Hermione suddenly felt her eyes fill with tears and slumped into the chair beside his bed. She sobbed into her hands. "Please wake up. I don't know what's going on." Wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve, she took his large, rough hand in her two small ones and spoke from her heart.  
"Professor Dumbledore, it's me, Hermione Granger. If you can hear me, please give me a sign. Studies have shown that coma patients can often hear what others say to them, so I'm going to try. I don't know how you're even here right now, but I'm thankful because you are the only one I know who can figure this out. There is something very wrong here...in the world...and I seem to be the only one noticing this. I need you to please come back to us, ok? Just try, please. I can't do this on my own."

Hermione sat there, staring at Professor Dumbledore, eyes surveying his body for any movement, an eyebrow twitch, a finger move...

Suddenly, she felt something sharp jab her between the shoulder blades and a man's hand cover her mouth.

"Don't scream or I'll jinx you. Now, who are you really, and what are you doing here?"  
Breathing heavily, Hermione stopped struggling against her attacker and raised her hands to show that she was willing to comply.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said as she began to slowly get up, "I was just –"

"Stay where you are!" he ordered, shoving her back down. "No, you're not. I'll give you one more chance to tell me the truth. Who are you?"

Tears streaming down the sides of her face, she choked on her words and whispered, "I am Hermione Granger, I swear it. Please, believe me. How can you be so certain that I'm not?"

He pressed his wand even harder into her back and whispered back, "because Hermione Granger is dead."


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione's body tensed as she recognized the voice of the man behind her.

"Draco Malfoy, you get your slimy hands off me this instant!"

Hermione felt an ache in her back as the wand was lowered. She quickly stood up and took a step back so that the chair acted as a barrier between them.

With her pulse was racing, Hermione's opened her mouth, ready to lash out at Draco, but found herself at a loss for words. As she looked into his light grey eyes, she was caught off guard. Rather than seeing the stone cold eyes and smirk on his pointed face, she found an expression of surprise and confusion.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"Oh come on, Draco" Hermione said with a sigh, "this little game of yours isn't funny."

As Draco took a step forward, Hermione took a step back. The backs of her legs pressed up against the bed frame. She narrowed her eyes and raised her palms up, "just stay where you are."

"I'm not playing any games," he said, making a show of putting his wand back in his jacket pocket. "I just want to figure out what's going on here."

"Ok fine. I'll tell you what I know. My name is Hermione Granger. You're Draco Malfoy. We go to Hogwarts together. You're in Slytherin, I'm in Gryffindor. You're also arrogant, sick, a coward... Should I go on?"

"Well it's clear you're not my biggest fan, but tell me this, if we go to school together, how come I've never seen you there?"

Hermione's fingers twitched for her wand.

"Oh so you don't remember seeing me yesterday? That's strange since you looked right at me as you called me a disgusting name." Hermione stepped forward and stood directly in front of him.

"Look, how could I call you any name when I've never seen you before in -"

Hermione felt her face flush and she quickly took off her jacket. "You think you can just pretend nothing happened?" As she rolled up her sleeve, she looked directly at Draco. "Let's see if this sparks your memory." She turned her arm over and held it up.

His eyes widened as he focused on what she was showing him. Raised white scars ran down her forearm. The word _Mudblood _was etched into her skin. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Who did this to you?"

Hermione stepped forward, raised up onto her toes and angled her head so that her words directly reached his ear. "Your aunt," she whispered through clenched teeth. "You were there. Or is that yet another memory that's miraculously vanished as well?"

Before Draco could answer, Hermione grabbed the wand from his pocket and pushed it into the side of his neck. "Now if you don't quit this right now, I'll turn you back into the ferret that you really are."

His eyes clouded and he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about what happened to you," he said softly. "But we both know that won't happen. Just give me back my wand and I'll help you figure this all out."

Although she wasn't expecting this reaction, she also wasn't going to allow him to distract her. She took a step back, away from Draco's outstretched hand. With a small smile on her lips, she pointed the wand directly at Draco.

Nothing happened. She couldn't believe it. Hermione shook her head and tried again, this time clearly saying the words that would knock Draco straight through the open doorway.

"Right. Let's leave the spell casting for another time, ok?" Draco's smile disappeared as he saw the look on Hermione's face. She stood in front of him, wand shaking slightly as she continued whispering spells under her breath. Her brown eyes focused on his.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll tell you what I know. I'm sure once we have everything out on the table, we'll see that this is all just some big misunderstanding." He walked slowly to the wall and leaned up against it, giving Hermione some space.

She blinked away the tears pooling in her eyes and sat down. She looked straight ahead at Professor Dumbledore and wondered what the world was coming to when Draco Malfoy was the voice of reason.

"Hermione Granger was found dead two days ago. The cause of death has yet to be released, but there's a strong likelihood that it is magic related." Draco paused and looked at Hermione, who continued to stare straight ahead. "Since she was a Muggle, this investigation has become top priority at the Ministry." He walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed so he could face Hermione. "It's also suspected that she may have been involved with the attack on Dumbledore...so naturally this story is all over the papers." He followed her gaze that looked passed him to Professor Dumbledore.

"Nothing makes sense." Hermione said wiping her falling tears with the backs of her hands. She accepted the tissue Draco held in front of her and looked up at him. He looked drastically different from the Draco she had seen yesterday. His pale blond hair was shorter, spiked up at the front. His face was fuller with a slight rosiness to his cheeks and his eyes were clear grey. He was looking back at her with concern.

"Visiting hours are over, loves," said a grey-haired witch in pale green robes. She walked through the room and stood over her patient. "Bless your hearts" she said looking from Hermione's tear-stained face to Draco. "The visits are good for him. And we're taking good care of your professor, don't you worry."

Hermione and Draco quietly left the room and paused just a few steps away from the doorway. Draco cleared his throat and turned to Hermione. "There are just too many things that don't add up. While I believe that you believe you're telling the truth, I think it's best if I bring you to the Ministry to answer a few more questions."

"Right," said Hermione. "You work for the Ministry in addition to being a Hogwarts student now? Don't make me laugh. I'm sure after everything's that happened, they're just showering you with recruitment offers." Hermione glared at Draco's furrowed brow and felt the anger boil up inside of her. Where did he get off acting like she was the one in the wrong? Like she was some sort of criminal?

Draco placed a hand on her arm and Hermione's eyes flashed as she wrenched her arm away from him. "I thought I told you to keep your filthy hands off of me! I'm not going anywhere with you, Malfoy."

Footsteps sounded behind them. "Is there a problem here, Malfoy?" Hermione and Draco both turned around at the same time. Draco mumbled a curse under his breath and Hermione let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Ginny!" She said throwing her arms around her. "I'm so happy you're here. You're not going to believe the story Draco has..." Hermione let her words trail off as she realized Ginny wasn't hugging her back. She stepped back and looked at Ginny's unsmiling face. Ginny carefully unwrapped herself from Hermione's embrace.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, smoothing down her crisp white dress shirt. "I think you have me confused with someone else, Miss...?" She waited for a moment for Hermione to introduce herself, but when it was clear that Hermione was just going to stand there with her mouth open, she turned her attention back to Draco.

"What did I interrupt, Malfoy?" As Draco and Ginny discussed her as if she wasn't there, Hermione took a good look at Ginny. Her red hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She looked years older, wearing a black pencil skirt and high heels. Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and the dismissive way she looked at Hermione, she couldn't help but stare at the marked difference in her friend.

When Ginny turned to look at her, Hermione saw absolutely no recognition in her brown eyes. That was when it all suddenly clicked. It was the time turner! But before she could catch up with her racing thoughts, Hermione was being led by Ginny down the hallway.

"Wait a minute," she said stopping. "Where are you taking me?"

Ginny pinched the area between her eyes and let out a sigh. "You're coming with us to the Ministry. Just to answer a few questions."

"Actually, I don't think that's necessary. I had suffered a mild concussion and was confused for a moment." She then looked to Draco. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, but I'm sure I just need to get home and get some rest." Hermione gave them both a small smile and held her breath as she turned to walk in the opposite direction.

Hermione wasn't even on her second step before Ginny grabbed her arm and turned her back around. Her heart was racing, but she willed her voice to remain calm and confident. "You have no grounds to take me anywhere. Let go."

Ginny let out a hallow laugh, her eyes were cold. She took out her wand and pointed it at her. "Well I did try to do this the nice way."

"Surely, you're not serious" Draco interrupted, putting his hand on Ginny's shoulder. "The Minister will hear of this, Ginevra." But Ginny either did not hear or did not care to acknowledge him.

Hermione looked to Draco, her eyes pleading for him to do something, but it was already too late. Draco's face blurred before her eyes as he stepped towards her. The last thing she remembered was being wrapped in a blanket of bergamot and cedar before everything around her faded to black.


End file.
